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The Rugby Case:

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Title: The Rugby Case:

1
The Rugby Case

A crossover sporting opportunity for High-School
football players during the off-season

2
Rugby An Introduction

Rugby is a team sport that is played in over 120
countries throughout the world, with over 3
million registered players. A global TV audience
of over 4 billion people watched the last Rugby
World Cup in France, 2007.
Rugby was invented in 1823, in England, when
William Webb Ellis, a student of Rugby School,
with fine disregard for the rules of soccer
picked up the ball and ran with it. American
Football later emerged from rugby in the 1880s.
Source www.playrugbyusa.com
The most significant difference between Rugby and
American Football is the allowance of blocking
for the ball carrier. The laws against blocking
in Rugby allow for each team to contest
possession at all stages of a game. This
determines the fluid and rapid nature of rugby
where possession of the ball may change back and
forth between teams without a break in play for
long periods. This means that although rugby
teams practice and execute a large number of
pre-rehearsed plays, players must be quick
thinking and tactically adept to cope with an
unpredictable, fast moving game. Source
Wikipedia.org - Comparison of American Football
to Rugby
Rugby is governed and officiated by standardized
and strictly enforced laws, maintained and
modified to support the principles of the game by
the International Rugby Board. While all laws
are intended to encourage fair play and eliminate
safety risks, specific law variations are
followed at the youth level to further ensure
player safety and minimize risk of injury.

3
Rugby By the Numbers

2016 The year Rugby will return to the Olympic
Games as a medal sport in Rio de Janiero
1920 1924 The last years Rugby was included
as an Olympic sport the USA won both Gold Medals
Two High School Leagues in Minnesota - U17
(Junior Varsity) and U19 (Varsity)
15 players on the field, per team
2x35 minute running-time halves, at the HS level
Zero forward passing
Zero blocking
Zero stoppage at tackles play constantly
recycles
All players run with the ball and tackle, and
theres a position for everyone Linemen,
Linebackers, Defensive Backs, Backfield,
Wideouts, Kickers, etc.
All players must be exceptionally
well-conditioned and involved in team play

4
Difference in Game Flow
Football One Play every 45 Secs.
Rugby Constant Play, One Phase every 10 Seconds
for 2-3 mins between whistles
5
Common Skills/Attributes
Football Attributes Which a Rugby Off-season Would Maintain or Improve Football Attributes Which a Rugby Off-season Would Maintain or Improve Football Attributes Which a Rugby Off-season Would Maintain or Improve Football Attributes Which a Rugby Off-season Would Maintain or Improve
Skill/Attribute Key Components Football Rugby
Intensity Competitiveness Toughness Killer instinct
Athleticism Top Speed, Agility, Strength, Balance
Tackling Success rate after contact Tackle percentage
Conditioning Minimize recovery time Sustain peak work rate for duration of a game
Gaining Ground Open-field running Controlling contact Big players running hard Fast players breaking line
Ball-handling Success rate in pass-catch Ball retention in contact Big guys able to create turnovers
Teamwork Game plan execution On-the-field communication
Character Commitment Team-first attitude Sportsmanship
Creativity Cognition Creating capitalizing on reactions
6
Rugby Crossover Athletes

"There have literally been hundreds of football
players who also played rugby as a second sport
at Cal and understandably, some have gone on to
the NFL Source Jack Clark, Head Coach,
University of Cal. Berkeley Rugby (See article by
clicking here)

Utahs Highland Rugby, winner of
19 national high school rugby cham-
pionships has five former players
currently in the NFL
Haloti Ngata (Eagles)
Stewart Bradley (Eagles)
Marcus Mailei (Eagles)
Naufahu Tahi (Vikings)
Fui Vakapuna (Bengals)
How Rugby Makes Better Football Players
Published by Gridiron Coach
Full document included at right

Double-Click Document to Open
7
Perspectives on Rugby

Larry Wilson Coach, Highland Rugby (UT)
19-time National U19 Rugby Champs
As a highly successful football coach for over
30 years, at both the high school and
university/college level, I encouraged every
football player to play rugby in the spring. The
carry over value to football, both technical and
tactical, is huge. The conditioning far exceeds
that which can be accomplished in the football
off season.
Our football program at Highland High School was
closely aligned with the Highland Rugby program
in structure, expectations, discipline and
philosophy. The programs worked hand in hand and
complemented each other in a way that was a
decided and distinctive advantage for both
sports. As a football coach, we never lost a
player due to a rugby injury.
I would strongly encourage every high school
football coach and program to get involved with a
current rugby program or start one themselves.
Where else can you get this type of skill
development, conditioning, team work and
competition all the while teaching the core
values of athletics and life. Done correctly,
high school age rugby can be the difference in
the degree of success attained in the football
season. The benefits are tremendous and the risks
are minimal.
Chuck Gilbert - Defensive Line Coach, Burnsville
High School (MN)
College All-American Defensive End, Mankato State
University (MN)
10 Seasons as High School Football Coach
This off-season I will be recommending Rugby for
my players in order to gain a competitive edge.
Two of my starting defensive line are Rugby
players, and showed separation from their
teammates in competitiveness, quickness, desire
and athleticism.

8
Perspectives on Rugby (Cont.)

Benjamin Brown Owner, Body Systems Healing and
Performance
University of Arizona Rugby, Red Mountain RFC
(AZ), Arizona State Mens Selects Rugby, USA
Maccabiah Rugby
Master of Science - Exercise Wellness (Arizona
State University)
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
(NSCA)
Rugby is a sport like no other, requiring
strength, speed, power, agility and the ability
to repeat and recover from intense movements
during a game. This creates a unique sport
requiring a series of movement patterns separated
by intervals of running at various speeds
utilizing both aerobic and anaerobic energy
systems.
Because of the constant flow of the game and the
positional specifics of a 15 man team, rugby
requires superior levels of physical fitness. A
typical game involves varying periods of both
high-intensity and active rest thus, rugby
provides a perfect carryover to training for
American football. Players rely heavily on a mix
of both aerobic and anaerobic conditioning to
enable them to repeat movement patterns and aid
in recovery. Explosive movements like rucking,
mauling, line-out lifting, and tackling are
anaerobic, utilizing the bodys lactic acid
system for fuel. This creates an optimal training
for similar athletic movements involved in the
game of football.
In my personal experience, I have seen rugby
players make excellent football players as they
often already have many, if not all of the
technical skills to effectively perform.
Combining the athletic skills with the fitness
benefits, I could not think of a better sport for
football players to use as a training modality in
the off-season. It can only contribute to making
them better all-around athletes, which is what
may distinguish great football players.
Erick Marigi Champlin Park High Football (MN),
Rogers Boys Rugby (MN)
Minnesota Selects Rugby, 2008-2009
Rugby helped with my ball carrier vision,
agility and my tackling. Also the conditioning is
a workout really so it helps my football game.

9
Best/Worst Case Rugby Case

Football teams need a way to maintain or improve
players conditioning, skills and athleticism
during the off-season
Best Case, without Rugby Players play another
sport (baseball, lacrosse, tennis, track) and/or
work out regularly
Worst Case Players do nothing athletic
Rugby Case Players participate in a sport
requiring superior conditioning and using a
similar skill set to Football (run/pass/tackle)
Football teams need a way to maintain players
camaraderie, team spirit, character, discipline,
and intensity during the off-season
Best Case, without Rugby Players play one of
several sports together
Worst Case Players socialize together, or do not
interact until Fall
Rugby Case Players participate together, in a
sport known for its strong sense of community,
team-first values, and intensely competitive
nature

10
Best/Worst Case Rugby Case

Rugby teams need access to the best athletes, who
are often Football players
Best Case, without Football Players are
recruited ad-hoc to participate in rugby through
friends currently playing
Worst Case Players are discouraged or prohibited
from playing Rugby by football coaches This is a
common problem experienced by many Rugby clubs
Players who excel often feel compelled to hide
their participation from Football coaches, or
play Rugby against the wishes of the Football
coaches, who often hold significant power via
college scholarships and playing time
Rugby Case Football coaches encourage
participation in Rugby by players not otherwise
committed to a spring sport. To assuage injury
and other concerns such as technique changes,
Football coaches are involved in conditioning,
practices, and other aspects of the Rugby season.
Additionally, Rugby clubs gain access to
athletes who are accustomed to pushing each other
to achieve success as a team
Rugby teams need better access to school or
municipal facilities
Best Case, without Football Rugby clubs struggle
to find adequate practice space, obtain permits
for games to be played near home area
Worst Case Rugby clubs are unable to secure
space, and must play games in faraway cities or
postpone until mid-April This detracts from the
legitimacy and viability of Rugby clubs.
Rugby Case Football coaches, in addition to
being involved in various aspects of Rugby clubs
operation, assist club in gaining access to field
time, gym time, and other existing but
unavailable resources

11
Rugby Off-Season Timeline

January, 2010
Football Coaches/Rugby Coaches meet to discuss
players, conditioning plans
February March, 2010
Practice Begins Focus on basic skills, safety,
conditioning
Football Coaches to attend some practices,
observe conditioning, encourage participation
April May, 2010
Regular Season takes place focus on gameplay,
strategy, state tournament
Football Coaches to continue attending practices
as desired, following-up with players to receive
feedback
June, 2010
High School State Tournament
Minnesota Selects All-Star tours to Colorado,
Pittsburgh
Summer, 2010
Participation in Seven-a-Side Rugby Tournaments
Football Coaches to transition players to
Football Practice

12
Action Items and Outcomes

Football Team Action Items
Encourage Football players to participate in
Rugby
Participate in pre-season planning, practices and
conditioning sessions
Assist Rugby club in obtaining practice and game
facilities, and visibility on campus
Football Team Expected Outcomes
Players to be more competitive, aggressive,
confident, and game-ready in Fall
Players to be better conditioned, more athletic,
and with better team camaraderie in Fall
Football team to have unique advantage through
innovative off-season Rugby program
Rugby Club Action Items
Recruit Football players in cooperation with
Football coaches
Include Football players in team play from
February through June, and possibly July/August
Improve Skills and Conditioning of Football
players
Rugby Club Expected Outcomes
Benefit from cooperation with Football team by
having access to top athletes, better facilities
Improve morale, team strength, depth of program
by involving more players, parents
Experience improved discipline, cohesiveness,
dedication by addition of elite athletes